Vadodara cops refuse permit for Honey Singh concert after complaints

Vadodara: The Vadodara district rural police refused to permit singer Honey Singh to perform at a farm at Swasi village on the outskirts of the city on June 2. “In the interest of maintaining peace, law and order, permission for Honey Singh’s concert has not been granted,” Deputy Superintendent of Police Usha Rada told reporters today. An NGO, the National Students’ Union of India and others had protested against the concert and requested city Police Commissioner Satish Sharma , district collector Vinod Rao and Vadodara district rural police DSP Sandeep Singh not to permit Honey Singh’s concert. [caption id=“attachment_826359” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  The rapper has been at the centre of many controversies. PTI[/caption] BJP MLA Yogesh Patel and former parliamentary secretary to Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi had also opposed his concert because of his allegedly vulgar songs. Several activists had also blackened Honey Singh’s posters at several places in the city, torn them off and set them on fire. “The Punjab and Haryana court came down heavily on the lewd lyrics of songs sung by rapper Honey Singh. Punjab police had also booked him for singing vulgar songs in public,” the NGO’s spokesperson said. Acasewas registered against Singh under provisions of Section 294 (singing, reciting or uttering any obscene song, ballad or words, in or near any public place) of the Indian Penal Code in Punjab’s Nawanshahr district. “When the Punjab police registered a case against Honey Singh for his vulgar songs, how can he be permitted to perform in the city?” the NGO spokesperson said. “His songs make us hang our heads in shame and that is why we are protesting,” said a girl protesting his concert. The NGO said Honey Singh’s songs projected women in poor light, promoted violence against women and even encouraged rape. PTI